Cobalt sulfide is one of the key components for cathode material of the current industry standard Lit-ion battery for electrical vehicles (EVs), along with nickel, manganese and aluminum
Annual cobalt production is not large (about 107 000 tons in 2016) - at 50 000 tons, allocation to industrial production of cutting tools, pigments and super alloys (used to fabricate aircraft blades, gas turbines and medical devices such as prostheses or trauma implants) is stable and will not disappear. Battery production is projected to raise cobalt needs from 45 000 tons to 120/130 000 tons (or possibly more) by 2025
Cobalt supply is not flexible because almost all of cobalt production is a byproduct from cobalt and nickel; volume production follows the demand of these primary products
The gap, looming from 2020 when EV production is planned by most auto manufacturers, is critical – the squeeze could constrain the ability of the industry to produce the projected number of EVs
Could research on solid state batteries solve this conundrum - the future will tell...
